"In 1278, Henry, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, was sent to the Holy Land by King Otakar II of Bohemia. He returned with him a small amount of earth he had removed from Golgotha and sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. The word of this pious act soon spread and the cemetery in Sedlec became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe. In the mid 14th century, during the Black Death, and after the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, many thousands were buried in the abbey cemetery, so it had to be greatly enlarged. Around 1400, a Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery with a vaulted upper level and a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary for the mass graves unearthed during construction, or simply slated for demolition to make room for new burials. After 1511, the task of exhuming skeletons and stacking their bones in the chapel was given to a half-blind monk of the order. Between 1703 and 1710, a new entrance was constructed to support the front wall, which was leaning outward, and the upper chapel was rebuilt. This work, in the Czech Baroque style, was designed by Jan Santini Aichel. In 1870, František Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to put the bone heaps into order, yielding a macabre result."
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
(Kostnice Sedlec)
After possibly one of the most uncomfortable visits to a church ever, we walked around the small but adorable town for a while learning about the history and then were treated to a traditional Czech meal. Potato and mushroom soup, chicken and potatoes and then a Czech pastry that was like a scone on the outside with jam and cream cheese in the middle. Although it was very confusing because before giving us the pastries the waitresses asked if any of us were vegetarians...we choose to believe that they had vegetarian and vegan confused so we would not be so concerned about what we were eating. The restaurant was covered in local art and was very homey.
Once we were done eating we got to go on a quick tour of one of the silver mines. It was easily the smallest cave I have been in with the worst part being around three feet tall and two feet wide. The boys in our group who were taller had to crawl on their hands and knees for some parts. It was an awesome tour but sadly only last around 20 min. leaving us all wanting more.
"By 1260 German miners began to mine for silver in the mountain region, which they named Kuttenberg, and which was part of the monastery property. The name of the mountain is said to have derived from the monks' cowls (the Kutten) or from the word mining (kutání in old Czech). Under Abbot Heidenreich the territory greatly advanced due to the silver mines which gained importance during the economic boom of the 13th century. The earliest traces of silver have been found dating back to the 10th century, when Bohemia already had been in the crossroads of long-distance trade for many centuries. Silver dinars have been discovered belonging to the period between 982–995 in the settlement of Malín, which is now a part of Kutná Hora."
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
(Městský úřad)
After the silver mine tour was done we walked around town to burn time because we were the first group that got to go on the tour.
And our final stop on the tour before heading home was the pride of the city, St. Barbara's Cathedral.
"Saint Barbara's Church (often incorrectly Saint Barbara Cathedral, Czech: Chrám svaté Barbory) in Kutná Hora (Bohemia) is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines. Construction began in 1388, but because work on the church was interrupted several times, it was not completed until 1905. The original design was for a much larger church, perhaps twice the size of the present building. Construction, however, depended on the prosperity of the town's silver mines, which became much less productive. So, in 1588, the incomplete structure was enclosed by a provisional wall until 1884 and the roof was unfinished until the 19th century."
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
(St. Barbara's Cathedral)
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